Course

SpikeSource: Software Strategy and Open Source

Stanford University
Course Lectures
  • Kim Polese, CEO of SpikeSource, relates the challenges she learned while starting a company. She realized that though entrepreneurs might see potential in their technology and have the right people in their company, that alone will not ensure success in the marketplace. It requires making sure that all the pieces are in place for that company, she says.

  • Birth of Java
    Kim Polese

    Polese describes the development of Java at Sun and the various things that made it a success.

  • According to Polese, SpikeSource is solving a real problem, which makes it really exciting.

  • Polese discusses why open source is popular amongst venture capitalists.

  • Polese empahsizes working with the community and the role of data and process automation in business.

  • Polese talks about how software has transitioned from a product that generates revenue to a service. She sees the software industry slowly shifting towards this idea.

  • Polese explains the concept of the "long tail".

  • Lessons Learned
    Kim Polese

    Polese shares some lessons learned along the way and gives advice to budding entrepreneurs to never stop learning and to find the right people and the right idea for their business.

  • Ethics in Business
    Kim Polese

    Polese talks about the importance of being ethical and not being evil while running a business.

  • Polese believes that entrepreneurs should open source their proprietary software only if the open source supports and enables their core business.